County wants farmers to be patient over suspension of sugar milling

By Peter Ochieng

The county government of Kisumu wants sugarcane farmers to adhere to an order suspending cane milling for three months.

In mid July, 2023, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) issued a directive suspending the milling of cane for three months.

The authority cited a biting sugar cane shortage for the action.

Sugarcane farmers in Kisumu are against the directive, arguing that they depend on cane farming for livelihood.

They say they have mature cane, hence see no reason for the suspension.

Kisumu’s Chief Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock and Fisheries Kenneth Onyango however wants farmers to respect AFA’s suspension.

He says that is the only way to ensure that they reap maximum benefits from fully grown sugar cane.

“That we ask our farmers to remain patient and persevere within the three months, enable sugar cane mature to help sustain the demands of the millers,” said Onyango, in an address to the press on Tuesday afternoon.

CECM Onyango added that all pubic sugar millers in Nyanza have adhered to the AFA order, apart from one private miller.

“That we have noted that government owned sugarcane millers within the Nyando sugar belt have heeded this call by AFA and suspended their operations. That one privately owned sugar factory has continued to mill and is harvesting sugar across the sugar belt.”

“By selling immature cane, the farmers will incur losses because their crop will not attract the expected weight,” said the CECM.

The county official in the meantime urged AFA to flex its muscle and ensure that the directive to halt cane milling for three months is respected, for the sake of sustaining a level paying field.